Category: Case comment

Sep 22, 2020

District of Columbia's Public Sector Comp Act Does Not Provide Schedule Benefits for PTSD

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals held that a public-sector employee may not recover schedule benefits for PTSD pursuant to D.C. Code § 1-623.07 (2016 Repl.) since that statute...

District of Columbia's Public Sector Comp Act Does Not Provide Schedule Benefits for PTSD District of Columbia's Public Sector Comp Act Does Not Provide Schedule Benefits for PTSD
Sep 21, 2020

Michigan Employee's Massage Therapy Was Not Compensable

A Michigan appellate court vacated a ruling by the Michigan Compensation Appellate Commission (MCAC) requiring an employer to reimburse an injured employee for massage therapy services where the services were...

Michigan Employee's Massage Therapy Was Not Compensable Michigan Employee's Massage Therapy Was Not Compensable
Sep 18, 2020

Cautious Medical Opinion Sinks NY Worker's Knee Injury Claim

Acknowledging that medical opinion evidence need not be expressed with absolute or reasonable medical certainty, but stressing that it nevertheless needed to be based on more than a mere possibility,...

Cautious Medical Opinion Sinks NY Worker's Knee Injury Claim Cautious Medical Opinion Sinks NY Worker's Knee Injury Claim
Sep 17, 2020

Utah Rule Heightened Standard Regarding Preexisting Conditions Dooms Claim

Under Utah’s Allen standard, where the claimant suffers from a preexisting condition that contributes to the injury, the claimant is required to show an unusual or extraordinary exertion in order...

Utah Rule Heightened Standard Regarding Preexisting Conditions Dooms Claim Utah Rule Heightened Standard Regarding Preexisting Conditions Dooms Claim
Sep 16, 2020

California Employee's IIED Claim Against Employer for Inadequate COVID-19 Protocols Barred by Exclusivity

A federal district court in California recently held that a plaintiff’s claims against her former employer, a private operator of correctional facilities, for negligent supervision and intentional infliction of emotional...

California Employee's IIED Claim Against Employer for Inadequate COVID-19 Protocols Barred by Exclusivity California Employee's IIED Claim Against Employer for Inadequate COVID-19 Protocols Barred by Exclusivity
Sep 15, 2020

PA Court Says WCJ Erred in Failing to Award Attorney’s Fees to Claimant

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania recently reversed a decision of the state's Board and found, contrary to the findings of both a WCJ and the Board, that an employer violated...

PA Court Says WCJ Erred in Failing to Award Attorney’s Fees to Claimant PA Court Says WCJ Erred in Failing to Award Attorney’s Fees to Claimant
Sep 14, 2020

Ohio Employer Not Liable in Tort Following Fatal Trench Collapse

An Ohio appellate court recently affirmed a state trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of an employer that had been sued in tort following the death of an...

Ohio Employer Not Liable in Tort Following Fatal Trench Collapse Ohio Employer Not Liable in Tort Following Fatal Trench Collapse
Sep 9, 2020

NY Claimant Must Show Causal Connection Between Employment and Medical Condition Even When Employer Fails to Controvert Claim

While an employer's failure to file a timely notice of controversy precludes the employer from submitting evidence that the claimant did not sustain accidental injuries or that the alleged injuries...

NY Claimant Must Show Causal Connection Between Employment and Medical Condition Even When Employer Fails to Controvert Claim NY Claimant Must Show Causal Connection Between Employment and Medical Condition Even When Employer Fails to Controvert Claim
Sep 8, 2020

Ohio Claimant May Not Receive PTD Benefits Where He Abandons the Workforce

The Supreme Court of Ohio affirmed a lower’s court’s decision that an injured worker was not entitled to permanent total disability (PTD) benefits because he had abandoned the workforce [State...

Ohio Claimant May Not Receive PTD Benefits Where He Abandons the Workforce Ohio Claimant May Not Receive PTD Benefits Where He Abandons the Workforce
Sep 2, 2020

Kansas Widow Rebuts Presumption of Marijuana Intoxication

Affirming a decision of a split panel of the state’s Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Kansas sustained an award of death benefits to the widow of a worker...

Kansas Widow Rebuts Presumption of Marijuana Intoxication Kansas Widow Rebuts Presumption of Marijuana Intoxication
Sep 1, 2020

Colorado Court: Pilot Not Engaged in Personal Deviation in Spite of Elevated Alcohol Level in His Blood

A Colorado appellate court recently affirmed a decision by the state's Industrial Claim Appeals Office that found an airline pilot’s widow and children were entitled to survivor benefits after the...

Colorado Court: Pilot Not Engaged in Personal Deviation in Spite of Elevated Alcohol Level in His Blood Colorado Court: Pilot Not Engaged in Personal Deviation in Spite of Elevated Alcohol Level in His Blood
Aug 31, 2020

Opinion Mondays: Is California's "Posse Law" Passé?

In a case involving an utterly bizarre fact pattern, as well as a legal battle stretching out over the bulk of a decade, the Supreme Court of California, in a...

Opinion Mondays: Is California's "Posse Law" Passé? Opinion Mondays: Is California's "Posse Law" Passé?